con ‧ tend /kənˈtend/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: contendre , from Latin contendere , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + tendere 'to stretch' ]
1 . [intransitive] to compete against someone in order to gain something
contend for
Three armed groups are contending for power.
Inevitably, fights break out between the members of contending groups.
2 . [transitive] to argue or state that something is true SYN insist
contend (that)
Some astronomers contend that the universe may be younger than previously thought.
contend with something phrasal verb
to have to deal with something difficult or unpleasant SYN cope with :
The rescue team also had bad weather conditions to contend with.
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THESAURUS
▪ claim to say that something is true, even though it has not been proved:
He claims that he didn’t see anything.
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She claims to be a descendant of Charles Dickens.
▪ allege to claim that someone did something wrong or illegal, although you do not give any proof:
It is alleged that he murdered his wife.
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Patients allege that the two firms failed to warn doctors about the dangers of taking the drugs over a long period.
▪ maintain to repeatedly say that something is true, especially when other people do not believe you:
He continued to maintain his innocence, even after he was sent to prison.
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My mother always maintains that I learned to talk at six months.
▪ insist to say very firmly that something is true:
She insists that Tom was there, although he denies it.
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Turkey insists that there is more than enough water in the two rivers for all three countries.
▪ assert formal to state that something is true – used especially in formal writing when reporting someone’s opinion:
They assert that children work better on their own.
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The Environment Minister asserted that one third of the country’s cities had major pollution problems.
▪ contend formal to claim that something is true, especially when other people disagree with you:
Lawyers contend that his back problems were due to an existing injury, not the accident.
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It is possible, as Kennedy contends, that her medical condition is caused by her work.